Hosea 10:4

Hosea 10:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
• English Standard Version (ESV)They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
• New King James Version (NKJV)They have spoken words, Swearing falsely in making a covenant. Thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field.
• New Living Translation (NLT)They spout empty words and make covenants they don’t intend to keep. So injustice springs up among them like poisonous weeds in a farmer’s field.

Context of Hosea 10:4

2Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones. 3Then they will say, “We have no king because we did not revere the Lord. But even if we had a king, what could he do for us?” They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements; therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field. 5The people who live in Samaria fear for the calf-idol of Beth Aven. Its people will mourn over it, and so will its idolatrous priests, those who had rejoiced over its splendor, because it is taken from them into exile. 6It will be carried to Assyria as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be ashamed of its foreign alliances.

Hosea 10:4 word by word

דִּבְּר֣וּ דְבָרִ֔ים אָל֥וֹת שָׁ֖וְא כָּרֹ֣ת בְּרִ֑ית וּפָרַ֤ח כָּרֹאשׁ֙ מִשְׁפָּ֔ט עַ֖ל תַּלְמֵ֥י שָׂדָֽי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• They have spokenדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• swearingאָלָה'âlâh · to swearH422
• falselyשָׁוְאshâv' shav · vanity: falseH7723
• in makingכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• a covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• thus judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
• springeth upפָּרַחpârach · to sproutH6524
• as hemlockרֹאשׁrô'sh rôsh · poisonH7219
• in the furrowsתֶּ֫לֶםtelem · furrowH8525
• of the fieldשָׂדַיώâdeh ώâday · fieldH7704

Cross-references for Hosea 10:4

• Hosea 6:7As at Adam, they have broken the covenant; they were unfaithful to me there.
• 2 Kings 17:3Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute.
• Ezekiel 17:13Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,
• Romans 1:31they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
• 2 Timothy 3:3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
• Deuteronomy 29:18Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
• Isaiah 5:7The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
• Isaiah 59:13rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
• Amos 5:7There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.
• Amos 6:12Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness—
• Acts 8:23For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
• Hebrews 12:15See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
• Revelation 8:10The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water—

Commentaries on Hosea 10:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4They have spoken words - Vain, empty, deceitful words. Swearing falsely - This refers to the alliances made with strange powers, to whom they promised fidelity without intending to be faithful; and from whom they promised themselves protection and support, notwithstanding God was against them, and they knew it. All their words were vain, and in the end as bitter as gall. Judgment springeth up as hemlock - As our land lies without cultivation, so that we…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4They have spoken words - The words which they spoke were eminently “words;” they were mere “words,” which had no substance; “swearing falsely in making a covenant, literally, swearing falsely, making a covenant, and judgments springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.”: “There is no truth in words, no sanctity in oaths, no faithfulness in keeping covenants, no justice in giving judgments.” Such is the result of all their oaths and covenants…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The corruption of justice is like bitter, poisonous weeds (Amos 6:12).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. words--mere empty words. swearing falsely in making a covenant--breaking their engagement to Shalmaneser (2Ki 17:4), and making a covenant with So, though covenants with foreigners were forbidden. judgment ... as hemlock--that is, divine judgment shall spring up as rank, and as deadly, as hemlock in the furrows (De 29:18; Am 5:7; 6:12). Gesenius translates, "poppy." Grotius, "darnel."Read the comment

Topics related to Hosea 10:4

• Hemlock
• Hypocrisy
• Perjury

In the dictionaries

• Ashamed
• Furrow
• Gall
• Hemlock
• Plow
• Poison
• Reap
• Altar
• Covenant, in the Old Testament
• Crime; Crimes

Commentaries on Hosea 10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings